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Plasma cutting table question

Hello all,

I am new to welding and plasma cutting, but it looked like fun so I puthased a Millermatic 211 and a Hypertherm Max 30. Been having fun with the cutter, and plan to start using the welder today (it just arrived last Friday).

I have seen a number of these on line, and I have a question. How do they work? My question is how is it that when you are using one you do not cut through the ribs of the table? I have thought about making a cutting table, but I have always wondered how one does not cut through the ribs/cross members of the table when cutting a piece of steel on it. Can someone explain how they work to me?

Also, can anyone send me some pictures of a smaller portable one that I can build and use? Do I put it on my welding table to use? Or do I need to make it so it stands independently?

with oxy-fuel cutting, any sort of air gap will stop the cutting. I believe plasma behaves in a similar manner.

Ideally, you want your cutting table to be a bed of nails sort of arrangement.

If they were not so expensive, id get acorn cutting pyramids and make some sort of table to support those. For something more real, an old drain grate from the scrap yard makes a pretty good cutting table.

My table is constructed with 1 1/4" square tubing for a frame. Before assembling, I cut in 1/8" slices almost all the way though to one side when the square tube was in the chop saw at an angle (not flat) on two of the pieces. I placed the cuts about 1 1/2 inches apart. Then welded the tube into a square frame, with the cuts opposite each other and with the side with the cut going all the way to bottom wall facing in. Then cut 1" by 1/8 flat strap into the cuts. This way you can pull out the slats and turn them over -- because they do get cut up a bit -- also when you drop a piece into the tray below (I formed a funnel type tray below that empties into a 5 gallon bucket) you can pull a couple of struts and reach down inside. If some cross members get cut up too much, just replace those you need to.